Web design process template: the stages an agency repeats
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A web design process template is your build process written down once, so every client project runs through the same stages. At the start of each build you copy it and fill in that client's details.
What goes in a web design process template?
A web design process template holds the stages in order, one owner for each, the file each stage makes and the sign that the stage is done. Add a short header for the client's name, the start date, the contacts and a link to the shared folder.
| Stage | Owner | File the stage makes | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intake | Project lead | The signed proposal and kickoff notes | The client has signed |
| Discovery | Project lead | The written goals and answers | The client confirms the summary |
| Site map | Project lead or designer | The page list and site map | The client approves the page list |
| Content | Writer or client | One content file with the copy for every page | Every page has final words |
| Design | Designer | Mockups of the key pages | The client approves the design in writing |
| Build | Developer | The site on a test link | Every page is built |
| Quality checks | Tester | The filled-in checklist | Every item is ticked |
| Launch | Developer | Launch notes and a list of logins | The site is live and checked again |
| Handover | Project lead | The handover notes for the client | The client has their logins |
Your client doesn't need to see every row. For the stages as the client sees them, see the web design process, stage by stage.
Each stage also has small tasks under it. For the tick list for each phase, see the website project management checklist.
DeskTeam360 offers a free tool for handing off tasks: the Ultimate Task Delegation Template. It counts website builds among those tasks, and you get it by entering your email.
How do you write a web design agency process down?
Start from a build that went well and write down what happened, in order. Then shape that list into stages you can repeat.
- Pick a recent client build that went well, and list each thing that happened, in order.
- Group the list into stages, and give each stage a plain name.
- Give each stage one owner. Name the role, such as designer or developer, so the template still works when people change.
- For each stage, name the file it makes and the folder where it's saved.
- Add the client's part: what you need from them, and the yes that closes the stage.
- Run the next build from the template, then fix the rows that didn't fit.
Keep the template in one shared place, with the date of the last change at the top. When a stage changes, change the template too, so the next build starts from the newest copy.
The template sets the order. The work inside each stage is a process of its own. For the production stages inside the team, see the website development process.
For a free way to hand off the tasks in each stage, get DeskTeam360's Ultimate Task Delegation Template. Website builds are named in the work it fits, and an email address gets you a copy.
More on Planning the build
- The web design process, stage by stage
- The website development process, from plan to launch
- Website development timeline template
- All guides
Sources
- DeskTeam360's page for the Ultimate Task Delegation Template, start.deskteam360.com/ultimate-task-delegation-template
- DeskTeam360's About page, deskteam360.com/about
What changed
- : Page first published.